Although you may not think of organizing your home to be particularly trendy, it is hard to deny that how we display our storage isn’t influenced by the pretty Pinterest-perfect imagery we see online.
Not all of these trends were designed to last, however, and there are six home organizing trends experts are relieved to be leaving behind in the New Year – and for good reason.
Whether they are more pretty than practical, or simply don’t last, this is why they need to be stowed away for 2024.
Organizing trends experts are relieved to leave behind in the New Year
These organizing trends won't last around your home, professionals say, usually because they put too much weight on looking good rather than functioning. While your home storage needs to look nice and be in keeping with your home’s style, it is more valuable to stick with tried-and-tested decluttering tips and a system designed around your personal schedule.
1. Forcing minimalism
2023 has seen a lot of people turning to the decluttering strategies minimalists swear by and organizing for quiet luxury. In 2024, however, Brenda Scott, professional organizer and owner of Tidy My Space, wants us to stop forcing minimalism when it doesn't align with our personalities:
‘I'm happy to see the trend of bare minimalism being left behind for 2024. It required too strict of a lifestyle and left most people feeling stripped naked. The idea of minimalism where you only have what you need and use is helpful but when it creates a home that's devoid of personality (no throw blankets, a few extra accent pillows, family photos, memorabilia, and pretty decor items) that's where I see the most resistance.
‘There's a balance of fun, pretty stuff with needs and wants, that creates a home that's comfy, cozy, and full of personality.’
Brenda Scott is passionate about home organizing, decluttering, and creating a safe home. At Tidy My Space, she helps people to keep their homes tidy when life gets busy. Brenda shares useful tips and gives practical help with sorting and editing her clients' spaces, leading them to feel less stressed and bringing the luxury of time to be spent with family, friends, or on themselves.
2. Handwritten labels
Ashley Murphy, professional organizer, CEO, and co-founder of NEAT Method is tired of handwritten labels that inevitably chip, smudge, and fade, making our storage less practical and less organized over time. If you want to think like a professional organizer at home, Ashley suggests ‘opting for a clean printed option instead that won't distract from your beautifully organized system.’
Ashley Murphy is one of the organization-obsessed co-founders behind NEAT Method. Started in 2010, NEAT Method is the result of the duo's inspiration to bring a fresh perspective to the industry. Murphy, the CEO, leads the team from localized markets to expanding across the US and Canada.
3. Going over the top with containers
Containers and storage baskets are among the storage products professionals can’t live without, but 2024 needs to see some moderation in how we use these around our home if we really want to reduce clutter, urges Jackie Pittman, professional organizer and founder of Chez Nous Organizing:
‘If I had to pick one I'm relieved to see go, it's the overemphasis on excessive storage solutions. You know, the ones that advocate for hoarding bins and baskets to contain everything.
‘While storage is crucial, it's more about strategic and purposeful storage and systems than drowning in containers. For 2024, I am looking for quality over quantity.’
Jackie Pittman is the owner of Chez Nouz organizing, having started her business after making multiple cross county moves and becoming familiar with the process of cutting back belongings and organizing the essentials of everyday life.
4. Everything bamboo
It is not just how we organize our homes that are changing up in the New Year, but what we use to organize them too, points out Ashley Murphy, professional organizer. For instance, she is relieved to be leaving behind the idea that to organize, everything must be light and bright:
‘Light colored inserts, trays and turntables made with bamboo lean into an outdated trend that has been replaced by richer and darker tone woods such as hardwood acacia,’ she shares. ‘We're seeing darker shades throughout the home in cabinetry, hardwood floors, and furniture, and naturally, we continue that trend behind closed doors in our organizing space plans.’
5. Limiting your organization to match your aesthetic
One of the biggest home organizing mistakes people make over and over again is limiting your organizing just to keep your home aesthetic. Whether this means storing items in pretty but too-small baskets, or organizing things by color even if this system doesn't work for you. Luckily, organizer Jackie Pittman sees this staying in 2023.
‘I love when things look beautiful and fit into a home's aesthetic (even amplify a home's aesthetic), but if the function is not there, it's pointless,’ she says.
6. Falling for influencer trends
Trends are always something we advise caution around when following, be it interior design trends or organizing trends. As many of us strive for my timeless homes, Darla DeMorrow, professional organizer and founder of Heartwork Organizing, suggests we may see the rise of 'de-influencing':
'Just because you see it on Instagram doesn’t mean an organizing product is well-made, lasting, or necessary. Ironically, most people assume that another thing is going to make them feel more organized,' she shares.
'The opposite is true. Most people already have what they need to get organized, but they may not be using their drawers, shelves, closets, and containers to the best of their ability. Before buying anything new to get organized, I love to help people re-use things they have first.'
Darla DeMorrow is a certified professional organizer, productivity expert, home stager, and author. Her company, HeartWork Organizing, based in Wayne, PA, offers seminars and training as well as hands-on work with residential and business clients.
FAQs
How can I be more organized in the New Year?
If you resolve to be more organized in the New Year, start by writing out a plan with some goals for what being more organized means to you. This could mean stopping overbuying or getting into the habit of putting things away and not letting them sit out, for example. When your plan is written out, declutter your home before you buy any storage products. Decluttering and putting items close to where you want them to live permanently will allow you to see what kind of baskets and containers you need so you do not overbuy, or buy the wrong items, making it more difficult to stay neat.
The bottom line is, that no matter how you organize your home in the New Year, it is important to consider the five questions to ask yourself when organizing to ensure your storage is dictated by what you like and how you live – not what other people's homes look like online, to keep your storage both functional and timeless for your home.
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